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Lindsey Graham
and John McCain, two of the Republican party's congressional
foreign policy leaders, said they would introduce an amendment
to the law so that a government could be sued only if it
"knowingly" engages with a terrorist organization.
"All we're saying to any ally of the United States (is), you
can't be sued in the United States for an act of terrorism
unless you knowingly were involved, and the same applies to us
in your country," Graham said in a Senate speech.
In September, the Senate and House of Representatives
overwhelmingly rejected President Barack Obama's veto of the
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, known as JASTA,
making it U.S. law.
However, lawmakers said almost as soon as they did so that they
wanted the scope of the legislation narrowed to ease concerns
about its potential effect on Americans abroad, which was one
reason Obama vetoed the measure.
The law grants an exception to the legal principle of sovereign
immunity in cases of terrorism on U.S. soil, clearing the way
for lawsuits seeking damages from the Saudi government. Riyadh
denies longstanding suspicions that it backed the hijackers who
attacked the United States in 2001.
However, it was not immediately clear whether Graham and
McCain's proposal would go anywhere. A group of Sept. 11
families, who lobbied intensely for the bill and have strong
support in Congress, immediately objected to their suggestion
because it would weaken the law.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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